Longhorns vow not to be overwhelmed

DALLAS — The special-edition jerseys Texas players will wear at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday are decked out in gold trim. Their apparel company intended this as an homage to the trophy awarded annually to the Red River Rivalry winner.

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“We've never got to take a picture with the Golden Hat,” senior offensive lineman Trey Hopkins said.

“We've never even got to hold it.”

Hopkins, his fellow seniors and perhaps their coach have only one more opportunity before the trophy eludes their grasp forever. The Longhorns have lost three games in a row to Oklahoma, and the last two beatings were so thorough that by the third quarter many UT fans were closer to the Golden Corral than the players were to the Golden Hat.

Colleges

Saturday, they'll enter as roughly two-touchdown underdogs against a team that's made a habit of bullying them from the opening kickoff. But all week, they swore they vowed not to be cowed by the scene that has swallowed them so many times in the past.

“It won't intimidate me,” UT cornerback Quandre Diggs said.

The Longhorns (3-2, 2-0 Big 12) have a reputation for getting overwhelmed early against the 12th-ranked Sooners (5-0, 2-0).

In 2011, OU jumped out to a 27-3 advantage. Last year, the Sooners led 36-2 at halftime. They won those games by an average of 40 points.

Both times, the Longhorns entered the game ranked in the top 15, but it didn't take long for everything to unravel.

“When you make big mistakes, they can get worse and worse,” UT defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat said. “When you make a big mistake, and then make another one, they capitalize on it.”

If Saturday's game follows the same pattern, it could cost the Longhorns more than just first place in the Big 12 race. With UT looking for a new athletic director and criticism of coach Mack Brown reaching a new high after early-season blowout losses to BYU and Mississippi, there's increasing speculation he might not be back for another year without a strong finish.

And Brown realizes a fourth consecutive loss to his biggest rival won't go over well.

“There's a tremendous amount of pressure that comes with losing this ballgame,” he said.

Even so, Brown said he's paid no attention to rumors of his possible demise, and his players downplayed the idea that Brown needs to win the game to keep his job.

“Coach Brown isn't going to play,” said quarterback Case McCoy, who's making his third start of the season in place of the injured David Ash.

Despite the perception that things at UT are getting desperate, Brown said preparation for this week's game have gone no differently than they normally do.

“We're worried about what we can control, and what we can control is how we play,” Brown said. “I'm overloaded with that.”